Hart: No real negotiations yet

I just spoke on the telephone with Corey Hart to see what he had to say about a report from Fox Sports baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal from the general managers meetings in Indian Wells, Calif., that the Brewers are discussing a contract extension with him.

Hart said he spoke with his agent, Jeff Berry, on Thursday and he had no news of contract talks, so it sounds as if the sides have had only preliminary discussions about the possibility of an extension. Hart made it clear late in the 2012 season that he'd like to be a "Brewer for life" by extending his deal that is set to expire after next season.

"Obviously, I'd like to stay with the Brewers," Hart said from his home in Arizona. "I haven't heard anything from Jeff yet about what the Brewers have in mind. He didn't know when they might talk about it. »Read Full Blog Post

While we strive for a lively and vigorous debate of the issues, we do not tolerate name calling, foul language or other inappropriate behavior. Please see our discussion guidelines and terms of use for more information.

While we do our best to moderate comments, we do not screen comments before they are posted. If you see a comment that violates our guidelines, please use the "Report Abuse" link to notify us of the issue.

Dempsters a good pitcher but his dominance against Milwaukee is overblown because we consistently put out an unbalanced lineup with only 1 LH bat (Prince Fielder and now Nori Aoki). It's the main reason why scrubs like Jeff Suppan have dominated us and also the reason why I want to sign Josh Hamilton even if its not the most logical move.

I just can't see giving this guy the money and years he's going to want. I like him and just getting him out of the division will mean 3-4 more wins for the Brewers since he's pitched so well against them. But free agent pitching is a loser's game. I'd much rather see the young guys, even if they struggle as they grow in the big leagues.

People here want to rip Hamilton and he's going to make money. But, I think he's a much better value at 4 years and $90 - 95 million than Dempster at 4 years and $65 million. Dempster just has Jeff Suppan written all over him to me. . . .

I'm an advocate for Hamilton at 4 years, $90 million (I really don't think he gets the deal he wants) adding a couple of vet relievers and starting the young arms, even it its half of a season early.

Pitching is the name of the game. I don't trust a rotation of YoGo and four other question marks. Can't win like that. The Crew needs to sign one, probably two more SP to solidify the rotation. Dempster is an innings eater. He's a nice fit.

EA,the Brewers almost just did with YOGO and 4 others..It was the pen that killed us this year.I would agree that it would be a smart move to sign another vet pitcher or trade Hart for one,but, if salaries are inflated,we can go like we did in the 2nd half and just upgrade the pen.

Mil- The kids looked good for the last 6 weeks or so, which is why we have hope. However, I'm not sure they can do it for a full season, once other teams get video on them. Fiers is a #3 at best, probably a bottom of the rotation guy. Rogers (who I love) hasn't been able to stay healthy and Peralta is only 24 and, while he has the most upside, he'll surely go through growing pains. Estrada is another middle rotation guy, at best. We need a bona-fide #2 or an elite ace. Little chance of the later but certainly there are some 200 inning/#2 types available.

Troll Fighter,,ive always respected your opinion but on Josh Hamilton,i have to respectfully disagree.Hamilton is a ton of money nad we have a power hitting LH in the minors.Hunter Morris.I do agree 100% we need a LH hitter in the lineup,but, Hamilton is going to cost way to much cash and Morris should do just fine

I don't think you gotta worry about us giving Dempster 4-65. I think the most you're gonna see him get is a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd at around 12M a year. His 2nd half in Texas hurt his value.

No on Hamilton. He's over 30 and injury prone. His contract would be an absolute albatross in three years. You can get decent production at that position for much less money. Dempster is intriguing if only because he still strikes guys out. One year deal with an option tops.

As for Hart, I think bumping the salary next year with two additional years is the way to go.

I think Hart is as good as hes going to get though.He had one of his better years,i can see Braun playing wheres hes at for the next few seasons and at worse,be a 25hr 295-300 hitter once he hits his mid 30s.Hart's value wont get higher then it is now.

If Hart is open to a 2-3 year extension, that's great. He was a gem at 1st base this year. He is a nice contributor at the plate and appears to be a plus defender at first and he was OK in right.

I don't want Dempster or Lohse. They will be overpaid middle-tier starters. I want the Brewers to be more creative than that or stand pat on starters. They can get better value for their dollar than Dempster will bring.

Aoki prob has a few miles left on him,but, obviously if Hunter is playing outfield,its going to be RF.Aoki has shown he can be that high BA,High OBP hitter with few K's but at 34 or so,who knows how long he wants to stay in America or how many more years he can play at such a high level

Hunter is (at least) a year away. Go-Go is a FA after this season. I predict GoGo has a good year (.260, 25 HRs) and bolts after this year- he is a Bora$ client. Then the Crew can decide if Aoki is good enough in CF and put Morris in RF in 2014.

Even though it was in the minors, Hunter Morris just won a Gold Glove award at first base. Why would the Brewers want to put a plus defender at 1st anywhere but the position he just won a Gold Glove? He had something like 5 errors all year. At first base, that is phenomenal. I disagree with you 100%.

They may start playing Hunter at several different position next year for more flexibility when he gets to the majors. We just had to let a player go in Ishikawa because he couldn't play any other position.

I really liked Corey Hart at first base. He's legitimate. The problem the Brewers have is if you lock Corey up for five more years does that lock up a spot for Hunter Morris? He is there future where Hart has already lost a few steps and isn't nearly as good in right field. If they could sign him for on additional year I'd do it, but beyond two years would be crazy.

My only problem with resigning Hart is that the team will remain RH heavy for the near future. Ideally our 1B would be a LH power bat to compliment Weeks/Ramirez/Braun/Lucroy instead of adding another easy mathchup for the opposing teams bullpen.

EA stole my thunder.Troll, your statement has Hunter Morris written all over it.On top of that,we can either save Corey Hart's salary,pay Morris and we save quite a bit on payroll,,OR, we can trade Corey for another piece like a bull pen arm and use the money left over to maybe sign a vet for he bench..OR we can trade Corey for prospects and use his money to help sign another vet. starter ( freed up 11M ) we can land a pretty good starter for 11m I would think,OR at least help towards a pretty good starter.

With Morris maybe getting to the majors sometime in 2013 that could curtail a Hart extension. If Morris is as good as his minor league stats it could make Hart expendable or back to RF. Rather have Aoki in RF with his range and speed. Hart a very good first baseman but only an average RF at best.

Hart's agent has coached him well. "I want to be a Brewer for life." True or not, if he isn't re-signed, fans will blame management. What if his demands are $25M/yr for 15 years??? Hart could be a Brewer for life IF his contract is acceptable.

Corey wants to stay. The Brewers want to extend his deal through at least 2015. Odds are they'll work something out.

Assuming Corey Hart and the Brewers are in the same ballpark when it comes to annual salaries, they're not far apart on the parameters of a deal. Seems a two year deal with an option for a third year would be doable. Year three would vest if Corey reached a certain number of games played and/or plate appearances in years one and two. If the third year did not vest... the Brewers would still have an option for year three, or pay a "buy out" amount to void year three. That third year is the stickler. Corey turns 34 in the spring of 2016 and there's no guarantee his level of performance will still justify a $10 million salary.